
■Sfs 



lyo 



Hollinger Corp. 
pH8.5 



Pi 



®Ij^ ai^ralbr^ of S^ta ^Ij^ta ft 






Reprinted from Beta Theta Pi, November, 1910 
Vol. XXXVIII, No. 2 



Price 5 cents. For sale at 30 Linden Street, Geneva, N. Y. 






©CIA278023 



* 



George M. Chandler, Michigan, '97 



THE minutes of the first recorded meeting of the Alpha of 
Beta Theta Pi, August 9, 1839, contain a description of 
the Beta badge, so it can be said that the fraternity 
has always possessed all the insignia necessary. This was the 




tcoivios, -- 

Miami. 




gold badge with the straight sides which bore the crescent. 
The first convention of August, 1842, however, authorized a 
change making the surface of black enamel and replacing the 
crescent by the wreath and diamond, thereby advancing the 
badge a step towards its final form. This was attained in 1848 
when the straight sides were made concave. 

As to the crescent it might be recorded that one reason for 
the change was that as borne on the Beta badge its horns were 
turned to the right as one faces the badge. Some Miami student, 
knowing more heraldry than his mates, or being a closer observer 

♦Copyright, 1910, by the Beta Publishing Co. [This copyright includes the illustra- 
tions singly or together and their unauthorized reproduction or imitation is forbidden. — 
Ed.) 



4 B^-Ca &vta Tit 

of the devices in the almanac, pointed out that the Beta badge 
bore the waning crescent and ridicule hastened the change. 

From time to time, changes in size and curvature were made 
to suit the various fancies of maker or wearer. In 1879, an 
attempt at standardization was made by the adoption by the 
convention of a particular badge but this action seems to have 
had little effect on uniformity. Again in 1899, the convention 
adopted a sample badge which was quite generally worn until 




. B?Ati(ttov_ 

Western Reserve. 




the convention of 1909 adopted as standard a badge accom- 
panied by detailed drawings and description which has now 
actually as well as by law superseded all others. 

The convention of 1842 also authorized the use of chapter 
seals which displayed the chapter letter, clasped hands and 
three stars within a triangle and circle. Prior to the Civil War 
the use of these seals with wax was quite general. About this 
time another seal became current. It was used to emboss 
letter paper and consisted of the old fashioned nearly square 
badge with a chapter letter below it in Greek. Some of the old 
chapters still fondly retain these seals but their use has long 
entirely ceased. 



The Heraldry of Beta Theta Pi 5 

Probably the next device to make its appearance after the 
badge and seal was the vignette. In 1846, Major Ransom had 
decorated the title page of the minute book of the Michigan 
chapter with a design evidently inspired by the triangular seal, 
and in 1859 this design reproduced as a wood cut headed the 
Beta list in Michigan's first College Annual. 

In 1855 the Beta "Temple" appeared as the frontispiece in 
the catalog of that year. 




Washington & Jefferson. 




DePauw. 



The convention of 1869 adopted a coat of arms designed by 
John I. Covington, of Alpha, truly heraldic but somewhat over- 
loaded, which was to form the basis of the great seal for attesting 
charters. This seems never to have been used until the conven- 
tion of 1879 adopted a great seal complete also drawn by Coving- 
ton and similar to the arms of ten years before but rearranging 
and omitting some of the details and then ruining the whole by 
adding things in no way related to Beta Theta Pi. When the 
revised constitution and laws were adopted in 1897 a new coat 
of arms recalling in a slight degree the arms of 1869 was included 
and the great seal simplified and made to conform to the arms, 
replaced the overloaded one of 1879. 



6 B^'rtt e^ta m 

In 1889 at the semi-centennial anniversary of the fraternity 
at Miami the rose was adopted as the fraternity flower. 

The fraternity flag has also undergone a change, Covington's 
design of 1890 being overhauled by making the white line 
inside the border into a white stripe and substituting for the 
red rose, which refused to harmonize with the blue field, the 
dragon crest, in red which has no quarrel with the white stripe 
in the middle of the flag. The three white stars still remain on 




Brown. 




VijTdpTa~PS» \j. tL 

Chicago. 



the blue stripes and the flag is pleasing as well as correct from an 
heraldic standpoint. 

The pledge button, although the latest of our devices, has come 
in for its share of the changes; making its appearance in 1894 
as an eight sided shield of pink and blue enamels displaying the 
three letters, it finished its development in 1899 as a white 
button with three gold stars. 

About this time the shingle appeared in the Cornell chapter 
and rapidly gained favor. It displays the member's name and 
class in old English with the fraternity arms above and a chapter 
seal below. This device is uniformly framed in a narrow black 
frame and is inconspicuously displayed in the member's room. 



The Heraldry of Beta Thela Pi 7 

When the Beta coat of arms was devised in 1897 it was the 
intention later to delve into the traditions of each of our chapters 
and colleges with a view to getting something typical of each to 
charge on the first quarter of the fraternity arms, thereby 
making an appropriate coat of arms for each chapter. 

The idea lay dormant until last year when the Michigan 
chapter appealed to the board of trustees to sanction the arms 
which it had adopted based on this scheme. The board, not 




California. 




Kenyon. 



having any authority under the law, sought such and the con- 
vention of 1909 accordingly legislated that a chapter with the 
approval of the board of trustees could adopt a coat of arms. 

By placing the matter in the care of the board of trustees 
the convention indicated its desire that no designs should be 
used by any chapter which fail to conform to recognized principles 
of heraldry. To assure this the board has arranged for securing 
expert advice. 

The board under this law has granted the request of the 
Michigan chapter for a coat-of-arms. This consists of the fra- 
ternity arms, the first quarter of which bears the University 
arms which displays the lamp of knowledge upon two books. 



8 



Bnifa Gn'JicL lit 



The crest, of course, remains the same but the motto is changed 
to one beginning with the chapter letter. Lambda, Av^vos toU ttovC 
fjLov **a lamp unto my feet" being a portion of the 105th verse of 
the ClXth Psalm, the Septuagint version. 

The first ten of our chapters are perfectly provided with 
arms in accord with the ancient rule of heraldry. The Miami 
chapter, of course, bears the arm of Beta Theta Pi unchanged 
save for the motto which now begins with "A". The next 





St. Lawrence. 



nine chapters bear the fraternity arms "differenced" as the laws 
of English heraldry provide for the nine sons in a family. By 
differencing is meant charging the Marks of Cadency or the 
Marks of Difference, sometimes called Brisures, upon the upper 
part of the shield, thereby indicating to which branch of a 
family its bearer belongs. 

The first of these marks of cadency is the Label or File, 
therefore, Cincinnati bears the Beta arms differenced by a label, 
a sort of three pronged rake, with crest unchanged but with the 
motto beginning with "B N". Western Reserve, the second 
branch, differences by a crescent and shows a motto beginning 
with "B" ; Ohio, the third, displays in chief a mullet, or star, and 



The Heraldry of Beta Tlieta Pi 9 

a "BK" motto, Transylvania 'tho long dead has not lost 
its right to the device of the fourth of the house and bears a 
martlet; Washington and Jefferson bears, in the right of old 
Jefferson, the fifth branch, an annulet and its motto begins with 
'T"; the sixth, Harvard, displays a fieur-de-lys with an 
"H" motto; Princeton, the seventh is indicated by a rose, the 
eighth, De Pauw, is distinguished by a cross moline and a "A" 
motto; and Indiana, the ninth, is marked with a double quatre- 





r w !SiE^ 




Wesleyan. 



foil and a motto whose initial letter is "11" . As English heraldry 
did not suppose a man to rejoice in more than nine sons, Michi- 
gan, the tenth branch, had to seek her blazon elsewhere. 

Many of the other chapters seem to be obviously supplied 
with characteristic devices admirably adapted for display in 
the waiting first quarter. Brown seems naturally to display 
the ever present symbol of the state wherein it is located, the 
Anchor of Hope, and Chicago obviously chooses a Phoenix not 
only because its city rose from its ashes but the University and 
the chapter were likewise bom again. Washington University 
might with propriety display the arms of the father of his country 
augmented by the fleur-de-lys of Louis IX of France for whom 



lO 



B?<ru Qnta IB, 



the city was named, while CaHfomia could choose no device 
save the setting sun disappearing into the sea and lighting with 
its closing eye Omega's home. 

Kenyon as an Episcopal college and recalling that the first 
name on Beta Alpha's roll is that of the present Bishop of 
Michigan would charge the white quarter with a bishop's mitre. 
Rutgers would obviously display the old Alpha Sigma Chi 
monogram badge surrounded by the Beta wreath and St. 





Toronto. 



Lawrence recalling her origin and enjoying the play upon words 
must display her time honored Five Lyres even to the exclusion 
of her gridiron. 

Texas like Brown would charge with the device of her state 
and the first quarter would bear the lone star. It might be 
well to add here that this would result in no confusion with the 
arms of the Ohio chapter since differenced arms always bear the 
symbol in chief, that is in the middle of the upper part of the 
shield and over any devices which the shield itself may display. 
Then, too, one motto containing words whose initials are ,,B" 
and "K" and the other beginning with "B"and "O" would 
preclude any confusion. 



The Heraldry of Beta Theta Pi 



II 



The Wesleyan chapter arms would naturally display the 
Mystic seven pointed star and Bowdoin recalling her college seal 
and the fact that she is in the easternmost state would charge 
Tyith the "sun in splendor" to use the heraldic term. Toronto as 
our first Canadian chapter could choose only the badge of our 
great northern neighbor, the maple leaf, and Tulane without 
second thought would adopt a "pelican in her piety," the symbol 
of the state of Louisiana. 




TULAXE. 



Illinois. 



•i-j 
P 

O 

o 

■1-3 



O 
O 

O 



These few illustrations of the beauty and adaptability of our 

system to chapter heraldry might be added to very materially as 

for instance for Colorado Mines a miner's lamp or a crucible, for 

le three-headed serpent of the old society, for 

m from the college seal. Amherst might display 

nd crown or possibly some device from the arms of 

, Dartmouth perhaps the clenched hand from the 

badge or the whole or a portion of the arms of the 

outh and for chapters whose college arms or state 

traditions do not furnish material there is an 

'^ excellent heraldic devices which might be arbi- 

:d, crosses of various kinds, a pale, a fess or a 



UE(C b I91t LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



# 



020 165 450 6 



12 B.f'Ta 9^^a lit 



chevron, a fret, a shell, an animal, bird or a fish, a tree, castle, 
arrow, spear, horn, spur, sword, sheaf, mermaid, etc., etc., for 
in heraldry most things real or imaginary have been used and 
about the only place to stop with such charges would be simply 
where good taste would seem to indicate. 

The illustrations and designs which accompany this brief 
article show how the arms are displayed, and, are with appro- 
priate mottoes, having as initials the chapter names in Greek. 
These mottoes have been in most cases furnished by Brother J. 
Cal. Hanna who has taken much interest in the matter. 



HolH 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



020 165 450 6 ^ 



